Man Sentenced To Prison For Forcing 12 Year-Old Girl Into Prostitution

DALLAS (AP) €” A Dallas-area man who forced a 12-year-old girl into prostitution must serve nearly 16 years in federal prison.

Prosecutors say the girl in 2014 had sex with a man who paid $50 to Luis Rivera of Irving for arranging the encounter.

The 19-year-old Rivera was sentenced Thursday in Dallas after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of children. Investigators say Rivera met four girls, including the victim, and said he'd help them earn money to buy food.

A man who had sex with the pre-teen girl, 33-year-old Marco Antonio Rodriguez-Mejia of Irving, was convicted of conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of children. He pleaded guilty to possession of counterfeit documents.

Rodriguez-Mejia, also known as Brady Rodriguez-Cruz, was recently sentenced to more than 24 years behind bars.